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Audrey McAvoy -
A Navy plan to dredge dozens of acres of coral to make way for a new aircraft carrier berth on Guam is triggering an outcry among locals concerned the move will wipe out important marine life and a valuable part of the island’s livelihood and culture.
The Navy wants the berth because its aircraft carriers are spending more time in the western Pacific as the U.S. provides a deterrent to North Korea and monitors the rapid growth and modernization of China’s military.
Guam’s fishermen are worried the dredging will hurt fish stocks and harm their ability to catch fish to feed their families. Others worry the tourism industry will suffer as the dredging hurts coral visited by scuba divers and submarine tours. Federal agencies have told the Navy they’re concerned about the large scale impact the plan would have.
“They’re saying ‘We’re going to destroy 70 acres of an irreplaceable natural resource of yours,’ ” said Cara Flores-Mays, an active leader of the group We Are Guahan, an organization that is criticizing the coral dredging plan and other aspects of the military’s buildup on Guam. “This is a place that sustains life. It helps us to continue our cultural practices, it enables our economy to flourish.”
The Navy has narrowed down its potential locations for the berth to two spots right next to each other inside Apra Harbor, the 212-square-mile island’s only deep water port. The Navy will also need a basin for the carriers — each over 1,000 feet long — to turn around in, which will require some dredging.
The first location, which the Navy prefers, would require 25 acres of coral to be dredged. Silt generated by the dredging would be expected to float onto and thus possibly smother another 46 acres of coral.
Under the second option, the Navy would dredge 24 acres and indirectly harm over 47 acres. More than 70 acres of coral would be affected under either plan.
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